News

It Just Was Not the Right Time

It was not an easy decision to cancel the 2012 ING New York City Marathon. Whether or not the marathon was run on Sunday, there would have been people that were upset.  The reason why people would have been heartbroken is the major motivational factor in this decision - people are crying because they’ve lost everything they’ve ever owned or because they are unable to compete in the marathon.

Nov 4, 2012

Taking a Microscope to the NYC Marathon

     The scenes of flooding and mangled homes and businesses in New York and New Jersey still permeate the news, confirming the fear and hysteria that had pre-dubbed the halloweentime-behemoth of a hurricane Sandy as "frankenstorm". The triaging of help involved in reclaiming a city as complex and bustling as New York and it's surrounding metropolitan areas is bound to be a sensitive and chaotic issue. Do maxed out first responders pump water from the subways before rescuing the people in flooded Staten Island neighborhoods ? There were human deaths, destroyed homes, livelihoods tied up in the businesses that washed away and beloved pets drowned. These are the tragedies of natural disasters that bring out compassionate acts from the community and beyond, and aiding this level of loss is the top priority in the hearts and minds of everyone who feels called action.

Nov 3, 2012

The 2012 New York City Marathon has been Canceled

The ING New York City Marathon has been canceled. Amidst debate from city officials, citizens, and high-profile athletes, New York City has decided to abandon the race in lieu of more important events at hand.

Nov 2, 2012

The NYC Marathon Preview in Numbers

By Chris Chavez and Mitch Kastoff

Nov 2, 2012

The Personal Whirlwind of Kim Smith

The last few months have been a bit busy for Kim Smith. She ran the Olympic Marathon in August, got married in September, and won the $100,000 bonus from the Boston Athletic Association in October. Instead of taking the money and finally going on that honeymoon to Hawaii, Smith still has one more race this fall.

Nov 1, 2012

Amy Hastings: From the Basement to the Startline

Amy Hastings has spent the last few weeks living a back room of Kim Smith’s apartment. On Sunday, the two will toe the starting line of the ING New York City Marathon vying for a top finish among the elite runners. 

Nov 1, 2012

Amy Hastings excited for shot at NYC Marathon

EXCITEMENT BUILDS FOR OLYMPIAN HASTINGS AT NYC MARATHONBy Chris Lotsbom(c) 2012 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.NEW YORK (01-Nov) -- American Olympian Amy Hastings is still riding the Olympic wave, some three months after the cauldron was extinguished in London. The 28-year-old is focused on Sunday's ING New York City Marathon, a race she considers to be just as exciting and grand as the Olympic Games, where she finished eleventh in the 10,000m."It's that same excitement you get," Hastings told Race Results Weekly here yesterday in an interview. "The energy is very similar. The city has an energy all of its own. With the Marathon especially, it's just a feeling that I can't really describe."Hastings will be making her ING New York City Marathon debut and first World Marathon Majors event come Sunday as she toes the starting line on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, something she's looked forward to since her collegiate days at Arizona State."I realized pretty early on that the longer the run, the better I was at it. It just came easier to me," Hastings described. "When I was in college running the 10,000m I said I'd be a marathoner. It's something that I've just always wanted to do."Coming off of her Olympic experience on the track, Hastings compared how the marathon distance is unique and special to her, how the adrenaline and anticipation builds in a different form than that one get's when racing on the oval."For the track, it really is every four years when its important," she said. "But for the marathon it's different. Yes you have the Olympics every four years. But you also have these Majors that are huge every year. It's really cool to be a marathoner because you get this excitement with every race."If there's one thing Hastings learned from her Olympic experience, it was to channel that excitement and use it as fuel to take risks mid-race. Part way through the Olympic 10,000m, Hastings had a tough choice to make: go with the leaders as they picked up the pace, or settle in. She risked it all, kept pushing, and wound up with a nice personal best of 31:10.69. The mental fortitude helps Hastings keep striving for more."I am going to keep pushing and something good will come out of it," she said.Though Hastings is still relatively new to the marathon distance, she has had some help in preparation from New Zealand's Kim Smith, a veteran of three ING New York City Marathon starts. Both have been training together in Providence, R.I., and come from the same mold -- successful both on the track and the roads."I wouldn't be here if I didn't have her to train with. She knows what she's doing," said Hastings.When both take off from the start, though, don't expect the workout partners to be side by side. "Kim has the ability to go out really fast and then cover during the race and finish strong. I am someone who can really ruin my race within the first few miles if I'm not smart. It really depends on how the race plays out. It may very well be that she goes early and I wait a bit longer."No matter the strategy, Hastings is confident with the training she has done, and is eager to continue her marathon career, possibly to the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She finished fourth at the USA Olympic Trials Marathon last January in Houston, and missed making her Olympic Marathon team by one spot."At this point, I would say I really do believe the marathon will be my best event," she concluded.  "I think I have a lot of room for improvement there. Hopefully, in four years, I'll be doing the marathon and will be up there at the end of the race."

Nov 1, 2012

Molly Pritz ready for NYC Marathon after battling injuries

AFTER BATTLING INJURIES, PRITZ READY FOR SECOND NYC MARATHONBy Chris Lotsbom(c) 2012 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.NEW YORK  (31-Oct) -- Molly Pritz is truly driven. The top American finisher at last year's ING New York City Marathon, Pritz has returned here after a whirlwind twelve months, capped off by this week's arrival of Hurricane Sandy.Much has changed since the 24-year-old crossed the finish line in Central Park a year ago, finishing her debut marathon in 2:31:52. The Pennsylvania native, who is now sponsored by Asics and living in Boulder, Co., and has another year of running under her belt. But most importantly, training has gone substantially better than it had in 2011."I'm definitely in a better position than last year," Pritz told Race Results Weekly this morning, visibly excited for Sunday's race. "Worlds better training wise."Before moving to Boulder, Pritz had been plagued by injury and illness since her marathon debut. Days after returning to running, Pritz began what would turn out to be nearly seven months of setbacks; a broken knee cap, a three-week bout with pneumonia, and a fractured ankle all would prevent her from running competitively during the winter and spring months. Frustrated with her recovery and bad luck, Pritz moved to Boulder in May, seeking a change of scenery.What she found in Colorado was a training atmosphere complete with trails, athletes to run alongside, and elite sports medicine, all of which she had lacked before in her career."It's been great. Having women to run with, the support system with treatment and facilities, and the positive atmosphere of being around runners, it all helps," said Pritz, now completely healthy. "Boulder has offered me a lot of options."Training with athletes coached by Brad Hudson, Pritz --who is coached remotely by North Carolina-based Mark Hadley-- has already reaped the benefits of running in Boulder. In July, after only four weeks of hard workouts, she set a personal best at the Wipro San Francisco Second Half-Marathon in 1:10:45. As for Sunday's race, Pritz hopes to run under 2:28."I've been training for 2:26-high," she said. "I didn't taper down for any races this segment, and I still ran the half-marathon about four minutes faster (than her 2011 pre-New York half-marathon), so I'm definitely in better shape than last year."Following a two week stint at sea level in Michigan, Pritz ran into troubles yet again, though this time they weren't due to injuries. With storms closing airports in both Detroit and New York, Pritz chose to drive here, a fourteen hour trip with her mother Marcella. They arrived just before Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the city."We hit our worst weather in Michigan and Ohio," Pritz said. "Pennsylvania was great and New York was even better. We were like 'there's a hurricane coming?' Then it hit full force a little bit later."Having to stay indoors as the hurricane made landfall, Pritz resorted to the hotel treadmills, doing a three-by-mile workout at 5:30 pace yesterday."It was the first time I had done a workout on a treadmill in years," she said with a laugh. "The hotel has great treadmills."Pritz wasn't about to let a hurricane stop her from racing well on Sunday."It's good to be healthy and fit again," she said. "I'm excited to race."

Nov 1, 2012

New York City Marathon LIVE Streaming Video Internet Links

Live: 2012 New York City Marathon LIVE Streaming Video Internet Link Info

Oct 31, 2012